Unfortunately, many practitioners graduating from school do not have a sense of regulations or best practices regarding the use of herbs. Professors and presenters at CAM conferences are not prepared to discuss quality control or dispensing practices in the modern clinic. In an informal survey of teachers, acupuncturists, ND/CAM schools, and presenter’s at conferences, all were woefully unprepared to discuss quality control or dispensing issues.
Recently, The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has issued a white paper to guide qualified practitioners who dispense and compound herbal formulations for clients based on one-on-one consultations.
To date the white paper has been distributed to the American Herbalist Guild, American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, American Society of Acupuncturists, American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, Chinese Herb Trade Association of America, and American Association of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture.
“One of AHPA’s core functions is to encourage industry self-regulation and adoption of best practices that protect consumers, patients and access to herbs and herbal formulas,” said AHPA President Michael McGuffin. “Broad industry adoption of principles in this white paper will also help preserve the current federal regulatory approach which effectively meets the needs of consumers and practitioners.”
In this webinar, Andrew Gaeddert, RH, founder of Health Concerns, discusses what you need to know if you provide prepared formulas, or compound custom formulas for clients, by using the white paper as a guide.